


Friend U Can Keep

by JanuaryEmbersxo9



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Pennywise (IT), Bisexual Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, Jealousy, M/M, Minor Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Oblivious Richie Tozier, POV Eddie Kaspbrak, Pining, Sexual Content, Underage Drinking, Young Adult Losers Club (IT)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:16:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29668551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JanuaryEmbersxo9/pseuds/JanuaryEmbersxo9
Summary: Richie is stuck in an on & off again relationship with Sandy, but that doesn't stop poor Eddie from pining after his best friend.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 3
Kudos: 40





	Friend U Can Keep

**Author's Note:**

> I might’ve been projecting when I wrote this.

Being a reserved person, a wallflower some may call it, had its perks. It allowed Eddie to keep his head in the books and stay within the happy bubble of his friends, the loser’s club. The bullying they all endured in middle school was horrible but thankfully, the scumbags had moved away by the time they were in high school.

While his peers were more concerned with dating and partying, Eddie never really had the urge for it. In all honesty, he was saving the stupid mistakes like hooking up with a stranger or having a weekend-long hangover for college. Eddie knew once he was away from the judgmental, close-minded people of Derry he would have the freedom to do whatever he wanted.

This was a part of the reason why once he realized he was developing feelings for someone, he kept it to himself. It wasn’t lost on anybody else that he would get shy discussing anything involving romance or sex, considering his lack of experience, but this situation was much worse than that. 

Not only did he have an embarrassing unrequited crush, but this crush just happened to be his best friend in the whole world - Richie Tozier.

For as long as he could remember, Richie had been a staple in his life. They were alike in many ways but it seemed as they grew older, Richie sprouted his social butterfly wings and Eddie - well Eddie was just still Eddie.

Eddie wouldn’t quite call Richie a popular kid in high school, but he was definitely well known amongst the other kids in their grade. He has this natural charisma about him that people just can’t help but gravitate towards. Eddie included.

Richie was annoying, and he could be the loudest person in the room, he was messy and sometimes his jokes got a little too crude for Eddie. But he was also the best person Eddie ever knew.

When all of the loser’s graduated high school and took off for college, Eddie, Richie, and Ben attended the same school. The others were spread out within the states but of course, they always made a point to keep in touch with each other.

As much as Eddie loved all of his friends, he wasn’t awfully sad about the group being apart because he still had Richie around. Ben became his roommate - which was ideal because Ben was a very considerate person. Eddie knew he would have no problems when it came to keeping the place clean or maintaining peace for study time.

Richie, the lucky bastard, got a room all to himself. 

Well, not exactly.

You see, Richie has had an on and off again relationship with a girl named Sandy for the past year and a half.

Sandy and Richie were initially just friends with benefits but that quickly turned into more. When they became an official couple, Eddie was actually happy for Rich. He seemed to be into her as much as she was into him and the times Eddie was around Sandy, she seemed like a decent person.

That is until they broke up - the first time.

It happened over some petty argument the two had and Richie came to Eddie bitching about how Sandy always thought she was right about everything and that he knew that she felt like she was smarter than him.

Before the week was up, Sandy was back in Richie’s bed.

Thus started the toxic back and forth between the two.

Eddie can recall Richie messing around with a few girls in high school (and possibly some boys) but it was never anything serious. Richie had never explicitly stated his sexuality, never really caring for labels, but he also wasn’t shy in admitting he found guys attractive too.

The crazy thing was, he had never seen Richie so caught up on someone - someone who repeatedly played games, just to reel him back in.

It was exhausting for Eddie to witness, but more than that, it made him regretful. This regret stemmed from being a coward and not telling Richie how he really felt about him when he had the chance - before Sandy was ever in the picture.

Eddie can’t count how many times he sought out to tell Richie he wanted to be more than friends in high school, but he would always push it until next year. Then ‘next year’ became college. And now that they’re in college, it’s too late.

So, Eddie did what he did best - he pushed his feelings way, way down and continued as if nothing was wrong.

“Eddie, I’m gonna head out.” Ben was zipping up his backpack, scanning the room to make sure he had all he needed. He was leaving to spend the weekend with Beverly.

Bev was enrolled at a fashion school about an hour away from them and once Ben and Bev started dating, Ben would make a couple of trips a month to visit her.

“Don’t text and drive! And tell Bev I miss her.” 

“Will do,” Ben assured, slipping out of the door with a warm smile.

It was quiet. But quiet wasn’t so bad when Eddie was used to being alone.

He decided to take a short nap before class, resting his head on the couch while turning on the TV for some background noise.

Eddie’s eyes sprung open, heartbeat thumping a mile a minute. He picked up his phone from the coffee table and checked the time.

‘Fuck, I’m gonna be late for class’ he thought.

He hadn’t meant to fall asleep, and surely, he hadn’t meant to dream about Richie fucking him against a wall.

There was no time to analyze the dream, or even take a cold shower to alleviate the erection pressing against his denim jeans, he needed to go.

About twenty minutes into his economics class, Eddie was bored. So naturally, his mind wandered to the steamy dream he had earlier. Of course this hadn’t been the first time a dream had made him hard, but it was the most vivid imagery his mind had ever conjured.

It kind of freaked him out a bit at how real it seemed, and how real he wanted it to be.

In dreamland, Richie and Eddie were at some sort of club or lounge - Eddie, just noticing Richie was walking towards an exit, had decided to follow him. 

He made his way outside to what looked to be an alleyway. Richie was leaning up against the wall, cupping a lighter to the cigarette dangling from his pouty lips.

Eddie was mesmerized. 

He watched for a second at how Richie inhaled the cigarette like a pro, blowing out ringlets of smoke; with his head arched back, Eddie could see a vein sticking out on the side of Richie’s neck. He followed the curve of his adam’s apple, down to his chest, where one of the buttons on his shirt was open.

After a minute of being a total creep, Eddie stepped out into the dim light to make his presence known.

“Oh, hey, Eds.” Richie turned towards Eddie, “I didn’t know you were out here. What are you up to?”

“N-nothing, just making sure you’re okay.”

“I’m fine,” Richie smiled, taking a step closer to Eddie. “Here, try this.”

Before Eddie could protest, Richie placed the cigarette in his mouth. Eddie inhaled without thinking about it, and magically, small ringlets of smoke blew out of his mouth; exactly like Richie.

“Cool, huh?” Richie remarks, studying Eddie with a sexy grin.

“Yeah,” Eddie breathed.

“C’mon,” Richie flicked the cigarette to the side and loosely grabbed Eddie’s hand.

“Where are we going?” 

Richie stayed silent for a few moments. 

They hadn’t walked far at all, but the light they had been standing under seemed much farther away now. It was like they were descending into a pool of darkness but strangely enough, Eddie was still able to make out the features of Richie’s face.

Richie trapped Eddie against the wall, towering over him. “Shh,” he placed his pointer finger to his lips, “or they’ll hear us.”

“Who?” Eddie frowned.

In the next second, Richie was licking into Eddie’s mouth.

Eddie didn’t have it in him to stop Richie and quite frankly, he didn’t want to. He had always wondered what it would feel like to kiss Richie, but this was beyond his expectations.

Richie was a tease. He was letting their tongues meet without allowing the fullness of his lips to press against Eddie’s, and then biting Eddie’s lower lip, only to drag away slowly. 

Eddie let a whine escape and Richie had the nerve to laugh!

Richie gripped Eddie’s jaw and pulled him as close as humanly possible, crushing his lips into Eddie’s. At some point without Eddie noticing, Richie unbuckled both of their pants and pulled out Eddie’s cock to slide against his own.

Eddie didn’t even recognize his own voice, the slutty moans reverberating against the cemented walls.

Richie’s hand was big enough to stroke the two of them together, a mixture of pre-cum and Richie’s spit providing a natural lubricant, making the glide of his hand slick and wet.

“Fuck, Eds, I love watching you come apart like this.” Richie kissed and sucked Eddie’s neck, branding him with a fresh hickey.

Eddie threw his head back with a sob, overwhelmed by the sensations. He grabbed onto Richie’s curls as that familiar pool of warmth started to build.

“Oh my god, Richie” Eddie moaned as Richie’s hand started to speed up.

“You gonna come, baby boy?” Richie whispered.

Eddie felt his vision blurring, the pleasure was almost too much.

“Mr. Kaspbrak!”

Fuck. That was not Richie’s voice.

Eddie dropped his pen, snapping back to reality, remembering he was still in class. Everybody was looking at him.

“If you’re going to be in this class you need to be taking notes.” His professor gestured towards Eddie’s empty notebook page.

Eddie blushed, not realizing how intensely he had zoned out. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

Luckily, the girl next to him was kind enough to let him copy the notes he had missed. When class was dismissed, Eddie couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

After having an embarrassing and tiring afternoon, Eddie plopped face forward on his bed, trying to forget the whole day. Of course in that moment, Richie decided to text him, asking if he was free to hang later that day.

Richie and Sandy were currently “off” so that meant Richie was more than likely trying to keep busy in order to not think of her. Eddie was ready to say no, not wanting to tend to Richie’s bruised ego. But another part of him was happy to get the chance to hang with Richie without anyone else. It was a shitty thought, but it was honest.

So Eddie said yes.

Two weeks flew by of Richie and Eddie hanging out consistently, and Eddie was eating up all of the attention. It wasn’t as if Eddie would never see Richie when he was with Sandy, he still made time for friends, but this was just different. It reminded Eddie of the way they used to be in high school; simpler times.

Although Ben had been with Beverly a few weeks prior, Bev decided to surprise everyone and insisted the boys take her out. So Eddie, Ben, Bev, and Richie ended up at a local bar close to campus.

This bar had a reputation for being lenient with college kids because we were “basically twenty one” already. The place was packed but the group was lucky to find a booth, ordering a pitch of beer to pass around. Eddie hadn’t planned on drinking much, but he was pouring up seconds and thirds because he was having so much fun.

Sandy was only mentioned briefly when Bev had asked Richie what the status of their relationship was. He responded in his typical Trashmouth way, by brushing it off with a joke. 

“Officially divorced. But don’t worry, it was amicable.” He smiled but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Yeah, she gets to keep the house and the car, and I get to keep my dignity!”

Ben and Bev gave him sympathetic looks but thankfully, Ben quickly changed the subject to avoid any awkward “relationships are hard” talks. After all, they were out to have fun, and selfishly, Eddie wasn’t in the mood to hear about their 10th time breaking up.

The more Eddie drank, the more bold he got, unabashedly flirting with Richie. It wasn’t unusual for them to have banter or for Richie to make suggestive comments - he did that with every loser, but what was unusual was how Eddie was completely relishing in it, signaling a clear invitation for Richie to continue the flirting.

“Here, let's pour Spagheds another one,” Richie reached across the table for the beer pitcher, giving Eddie his - how many drinks had he had?

“Oh my god, Rich,” Eddie rolled his eyes and spoke in an exaggerated, playful tone. “Do you have to call me that in public? You’re embarrassing me in front of my friends,” he nodded towards Ben and Bev. They laughed.

“Oh please,” Richie scoffed. “You love it.”

“You know I do.” Eddie grinned, seductively, taking a sip of his beer. Richie beamed at him. He chose to ignore the sly smirk Bev was giving him across the booth.

Eventually Bev dragged Ben on the dancefloor, leaving Richie and Eddie by themselves.

“Ah, young love,” Richie cooed, putting on a faux eldery voice. He threw his arm around Eddie. “Aren’t they a lovely couple?”

Eddie snorted. “They sure are grandpa.” Richie smiled and pinched his cheek. Eddie swatted his hand away.

“As much as I miss the others, I’m so glad to have you guys here.” The sincerity in Richie’s voice pinched Eddie’s heart. “Yeah, me too.” Eddie agreed.

“You’re my best friend, you know that right?” Eddie’s stomach dropped momentarily, but he couldn’t let it show. He plastered on the best smile he could and nodded. Hearing Richie call him his best friend should’ve made him happy, but it only reminded him of what they weren’t.

“Um, Rich,” Eddie turned to face Richie but angled his face away so they wouldn’t be so close. “Can I tell you something?”

“Sure thing, Eds.”

“Well,” Eddie started on a shaky note and cleared his throat. “I think you should know-”

“Oh my god, I fuckin’ love this song!” Richie jumped up, startling Eddie, pulling on his shirt. “Come dance with me!”

“Uhh,” Eddie was still trying to process the fact he almost spilled his heart out to Richie.

“Oh c’mon, don’t make me embarrass myself on my own, because you know I’ll do it.” Richie pointed with an accusatory finger.

“Okay,” Eddie relented, letting Richie pull him up.

Tove Lo’s “Talking Body” was blasting from the stereo and Richie was jumping around like a maniac. It would be embarrassing to most people but Eddie was used to it, plus, it was endearing to watch his friend get lost in the music.

The others joined in and the four of them laughed, danced, and held on to each other, catching the eyes of surrounding people.

When the song changed, Bev expressed that she was starving and wanted to get food but the bar was out of chicken wings. “Ben and I are going across the street for food, you guys wanna come?”

“No thanks, i’m not really hungry.” Eddie shrugged.

“You guys go ahead, just make sure you meet us back here later.” Richie dragged Eddie back on the dancefloor, placing them in the very center of the room. Eddie wasn’t sure how long they continued to dance, but it seemed as if their bodies moved closer to each other, like a magnet, every time another minute passed. 

An upbeat song with a sexy beat started playing. Eddie held onto Richie so he wouldn’t get lost in the crowd of people, but really, it was an excuse to feel Richie’s skin. It didn’t seem like Richie minded, he pulled Eddie even closer, turning him around so his chest was up against Eddie’s back.

Eddie wasn’t drunk, but he was tipsy, and the dark atmosphere mixed with a surround sound of music while Richie was pressed so close to him was making Eddie a little breathless. Eddie thought ‘fuck it’ and let go of any inhibitions, feeling the beat travel through his body, letting it lead him to grind on Richie.

Richie seemed to be lost in the moment as well, placing his hands on Eddie’s waist, allowing his lips to hover over Eddie’s neck.

It was so erotic. The energy was super charged all around them; you know that cliche feeling of everybody in the room disappearing and the spotlight just being on two people? Yeah, it was that feeling.

Eddie brought his left hand up to bring Richie’s face closer to his, and if you were to ask him what was going through his mind before attaching his lips to Richie’s, he couldn’t tell you. It felt a little dubious on both parts. Richie, because he was confused as to what was happening between them, and Eddie, because he didn’t plan for this. At all.

It was an awkward angle to kiss, so Eddie turned around to face Richie. As he placed his hands on both sides of Richie’s face, he pulled him down to match his height so he could kiss him the way he really wanted. The way he’s been yearning to for years.

Richie was opening his mouth for Eddie, tasting the bitterness of beer on his tongue, and allowing himself to be pulled closer. But then he started thinking.

He abruptly stopped and held on to Eddie’s arms. “Wait, Eds, Eddie, what are we doing?”

Eddie couldn’t hear him so Richie pulled Eddie to an outside area where they could get some privacy. It almost felt like deja vu for Eddie, considering the dream he had involving Richie was similar in setting, except this time it was real.

“What was that?” Richie spoke first. It sounded much louder being outside, away from the sweaty people and strobe lights. What had just transpired between them was settling into Eddie’s consciousness. He didn’t feel brave at that moment.

Eddie shrugged, deflecting the question. “I thought we were having fun.”

“We were, I just- fuck Eds,” Richie ran a hand through his messy dark curls. “I don’t think we should do that again.”

“Why? Was it not good?” Eddie frowned.

“No, I liked it, probably much more than I should have.” Richie mumbled the last part. “It’s just you know...Sandy.”

Eddie felt anger bubbling up to the surface, a mountain of words ready to explode.

“What about Sandy? She broke up with you, remember?” 

Richie looked a little offended. “I know that Eds, I was there.” Eddie rolled his eyes.

“What I’m saying is it hasn’t been that long since the breakup and who knows what could happen in the future.”

It was clear that Richie was suggesting him and Sandy would make up at some point, or maybe that was just what Richie was hoping for.

Eddie was so over it.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Eddie laughed coldly. “Everything always has to come back to her, doesn’t it?”

Richie’s brow furrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I am so sick of watching you run back to her like a lost puppy,” Eddie shook his head. “It’s pathetic, Richie, really.”

“Pathetic? This coming from a guy who won’t date anybody because he’s too afraid to take a risk. You have no idea what it’s like, Eddie.”

“Fuck you, Richie.” No no no, Eddie would not cry in front of him. “So what I haven’t been with anybody! I’d rather be alone for the rest of my life than be stuck in a toxic relationship like yours.”

“Dude, are you fuckin’ serious right now? I don’t need to hear this shit from you.” Richie brushed past Eddie.

“Where are you going?”

Richie ignored him and went back inside the bar, disappearing between the crowds of people. Eddie hesitated to follow, but did anyway. He found him walking past Ben and Bev who were clearly confused.

“What happened?” Ben asked, studying Eddie’s face.

“I fucked up.”

* * * *

The next day, Eddie tried texting Richie a few times but he didn’t respond. He had turned his read receipts off so Eddie wasn’t even sure if Richie was checking his messages. Of course, Beverly was trying to coax Eddie into telling her what went down but he told her he didn’t want to talk about. Apparently, she made it a point to stop by Richie’s before going back to college, wanting to make sure her friend would be okay.

Ben was different, he knew not to push Eddie, and left it alone. He clearly wanted to know what had happened as well but he was kind enough to respect Eddie’s wishes of not bringing it up.

The silent treatment from Richie went on for the rest of the week. Eddie waited until he was alone to cry about it. He kept going over that night and how quickly things had changed from a good time with friends to losing his best friend.

Eddie didn’t share any classes with Richie but he was hoping to “accidentally” run into him on campus and talk. That never happened.

It was the weekend again, and Ben was leaving the apartment to go to a study group session. Eddie couldn’t stand the solicitous looks he was getting from Ben, although he knew it was coming from a good place, but it only reminded him of that night and how much Eddie screwed up.

Before leaving, Ben gave Eddie a much needed hug without him even having to ask for one. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

“Ben, I’m fi-” 

Richie stood at the door with an awkward smile. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

“Can I come in?”

“Oh, yeah,” Eddie rushed to open the door wide enough for Richie to walk in.

“I love what you’ve done with the place,” Richie pointed to the two new plants placed on the counter.

Eddie smiled a little. “Beverly Marsh’s touch.”

Eddie looked at Richie, only to find him already staring.

“I miss you.”

Fuck, Eddie wanted to cry again. “Me too,” he replied in a soft voice. 

Richie placed his hand on the back of his neck and rubbed like he had an ache, a nervous habit Eddie picked up on. “This whole week just felt so off and I knew it was because I hadn’t talked to you. I just wanted to clear the air.”

“I am so sorry, Richie, I shouldn’t have said those things to you.” Eddie’s big brown eyes pleaded for forgiveness.

“Yeah, I mean, you could've been a little less harsh about it but, you were right.”

Eddie’s eyes widened. “I was?”

“Yeah. I went to see Sandy a few days ago.”

“Oh,” Eddie deflated. “You’re back together?”

“No. We’re through, for good. I told her I was tired of the back and forth and that we needed to let each other go. It just wasn’t healthy.”

“I’m sorry.”

Richie smirked. “No you’re not.”

“I’m not,” Eddie smiled. “But you know I never want to see you hurt.”

“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be okay.” Richie rocked back and forth on the heels of his feet. “And I’m sorry too...you know, for making you feel bad about being single. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.”

“Thanks, but you were right too.” Eddie couldn’t maintain eye contact with Richie. “This isn’t how I wanted to tell you but I’m just gonna come out and say it. I’ve liked you for a really long time, Richie, and seeing you give Sandy a million and one chances without ever giving me one, hurts. But I’m not blaming you for anything, I should’ve told you how I felt a long time ago.”

Richie hung his head low, softly laughing to himself. 

“Don’t make fun of me, Rich, please,” Eddie groaned.

“No, no, I’m not- I swear. It’s just, I had the biggest crush on you when we were kids but I never said anything because I didn’t wanna make things weird. Now you’re telling me you liked me too. How fucking stupid is that?” 

Eddie nodded, unable to conceal the laugh that slipped from his lips. “We’re idiots.”

“Definitely,” Richie smiled that beautiful smile Eddie loved to see.

“There’s one more thing to clear up,” Richie started. “The kiss.”

Eddie blushed.

“I’m not gonna lie to you Eds, I haven’t stopped thinking about it since it happened.” A tinge of pink blossomed across Richie’s cheeks. “But I don’t think I’m ready to jump into anything serious right now.”

Eddie was disappointed to hear that to say the least, but he understood where Richie was coming from.

Richie grabbed Eddie’s shoulders. “Please don’t take this as rejection, it just wouldn’t be fair to you or me. I need to get my mind right, y’know?”

“I totally understand, Richie. It’s okay. Just promise me we’ll remain friends.”

Richie pulled Eddie into a hug. “We’ll always be friends Eds, that’s never gonna change.” Eddie squeezed his arms around Richie’s slim waist before pulling back to look at him.

“And I’m not asking you to wait around for me, either. If you find somebody pretty cool then I want you to be happy. I’ll definitely be jealous but I’ll get over it.”

Eddie’s bottom lip quivered. He loved Richie so much sometimes it scared him.

“You deserve the best. Only the best for my Spagheds.”

“Ugh,” Eddie rolled his eyes. “Way to ruin a heartfelt moment. I hate when you call me that.”

Richie laughed. “You love it.”

Eddie bit his bottom lip to keep from smiling too hard, and whispered. “You know I do.”

**Author's Note:**

> I appreciate feedback. Thanks for reading!


End file.
